Lightning-arrester.



PATBNTED APR. 18, 1905.

L. M. GATES. LIGHTNING ARBBSTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1904.

I entor" 5 61% Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

LARA M. GATES, OF CHARITON, IOWA.

LlGHTNING-ARRESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,371, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed August 16, 1904. Serial No. 220,919.

In all whom, it WWI/y concern.-

Be it known that I, LARA M. GATES, a eitizen of the United States,residing at Ohariton, in the county of Lucas and State of Iowa,

- have invented acertain new and useful Lightning-Arrester, of which the following is a specification.

The ob ects of my invention are to provide a lightning-arrester of simple, durable, and

' ranged that upon the approach of an electrical storm an operator on the interior of the building may push the rod outwardly to thereby disconnect the telephone, so that an excessive quantity of electricity on the line-wire will be prevented from entering the building and be discharged through a ground-wire without entering the building.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the complete device in position, permitting the use of the telephone; and Fig. 2 shows a central longitudinal sectional view of the same, showing the device set to position to carry an excessive current into the ground without permitting it to enter the building.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

- the numeral is used to indicate a base designed to be held by screws 11 against the exterior wall of the building.

This base is formed with an opening 12 to be placed in line with an opening 13 in the wall of the building.

Mounted upon the base 10 is a cylindrical body portion comprising ametallic inner end 14, a central portion 15, formed of insulating material, and a block 16 at the outer end formed of metal. Extending longitudinally through the body portion 15 is an angular opening 17, and a longitudinal slot 16 communicates with the opening 17. Between the outer end of the body portion 15 and the block 16 is an angular opening 18. The said block 16 is provided with an opening 19, running through it and connecting with the opening 18 of the part 15. A wire 20 is placed in this opening and extended to the ground. It is held in position in the opening by the set screw 21. 14. is a wire 22, leading to the interior of the building. This wire is designed to connect with a telephone or the like.

Slidingly mounted in the angular opening 17 is a metal block 23, having an opening therein designed to receive the line-wire 24, which is held in position therein by the setscrew 25. This block is attached to arod 26, made of insulating material, and this red in turn is connected to a rod 27, which runs through the openings 12 and 13 to the interior of the building. When the rod 27 is at the inner limit of its movement, the block 23 is held in contact with the block 14. Both of these blocks are made of metal and are good electrical conductors, so that a circuit is established from the line-wire 24 to the wire 2.., which leads to a telephone or the like.

Assuming that it is desired to cut out the telephone, the operator on the interior of the building may push the rod 27 outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2, so that the block 23 stands close to the part 16. It is held disconnected from the part 16, however, by the body portion 15, and communication between these parts may only be had by a current passing over the wire 24 of suflicient power to pass through the air-space between the said parts. The ordinary current used for telephones will not do this, and hence the telephone-current is not run into the ground through the wire 20. However, if a current of suflicient voltage passes over the wire 24 it will form an arc across the space between the parts 23 and 16, and the current will be passed through the ground-wire 20 and will not enter the building to which the arrester is attached.

Having thus described my invention, what Connected with the base portion I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. In a lightning-arrester, the combination of a base to be secured to the wall and formed with an opening, a body portion connected with the base and comprising a metallic inner end, a service-wire connected therewith, a central portion made of insulating material, a metallic outer end, a ground-wire connected therewith, said insulating portion formed with a longitudinal opening, a metallic block slidingly mounted in said opening, a handle con nected with the block and extended through an opening in the base, a line-wire connected with the block, said block at the inner limit of its movement being in contact with the metal end connected with the service-wire and at its outer limit adjacent to and spaced apart from the metallic end connected with the ground-wire.

2. A lightning-arrester comprising a base formed with an opening, a body portion connected with the base, said body portion comprising a metallic inner end, a central portion formed of insulating material and a metallic outer end, said central portion formed with a longitudinal opening and a longitudinal slot at one side of the opening and also formed with an opening connnunicating between the longitudinal opening and the metal block at the outer'end, a metal slide placed in the opening in the insulator in one position being in engagement with the block at the inner end of the body portion and in its other position being adjacent to and slightly spaced apart from the block at the outer end 01. the body portion, and a line-wire connected to the sliding block, a service-wire connected to the block at the inner end of the body portion, and a ground-wire connected to the block at the outer end of the body portion and an insulating-rod fixed to the sliding block and passed through the opening in the base, for the purposes stated.

Des Moines, Iowa, July 1, 1904-.

LARA M. GATES.

Vitnesses:

F. M. (,iOFFMAN, l. N. BowuN. 

